Jupiter Ensemble Lea Desandre, mezzo Union College

Sunday, November 15, 2026 - 3:00 PM

The famed singer Lea Desandre and one of the world’s top early music ensembles, Jupiter Ensemble, led by lutenist Thomas Dunford, return after their memorable 2023 debut for a program of Baroque arias and instrumental works. The “elegant fire” (New Yorker) of Desandre with Jupiter’s “delightful” (NY Times) playing will have you on the edge of your seat. The NY Times named this program in the top 10 they want to hear this season in Carnegie Hall.

Baroque works of Vivaldi & others

RUNTIME: 2 HOURS

Union College
Memorial Chapel
Schenectady, NY

General Admission seating—doors open 45 minutes before concert.
All kids and college students admitted free at door.

Founded in 2018 by lutenist Thomas Dunford, Jupiter Ensemble grew from the meeting and friendship between Mr. Dunford and young musicians of his generation, including Lea Desandre, Jean Rondeau, Douglas Balliett, Bruno Philippe, Sophie Gent, Thibaut Garcia, and Peter Whelan. Their freedom, energy, listening and improvisation skills allow them to perform with passion, strength, and emotion across repertoire from Vivaldi to Joaquin Rodrigo, Handel, Destouches, Couperin, Mancini, and original compositions by Thomas Dunford and Douglas Balliett.

Jupiter Ensemble's first disc (autumn 2019, Alpha) is dedicated to Vivaldi and alternates extracts from operas and instrumental concerti, highlighting different soloists. That recording earned multiple awards: Diamant Opéra Magazine, the Caecilia prize (Union of the Belgian Music Press), an ICMA (International Classical Music Award), and a France Musique choice. Their second album, Amazone, is a recital by Lea Desandre for Erato-Warner Classics; they also released Eternal Heaven (2022) with countertenor Iestyn Davies.

Jupiter Ensemble has performed worldwide at venues including Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Festival de Pâques d’Aix-en-Provence, Köln Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Rouen Opera, and the Salle Gaveau. The ensemble is sponsored by La Caisse des Dépôts (principal patron), is in residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation, and is a member of FÉVIS and PROFEDIM.

Lea Desandre is a Franco-Italian mezzo-soprano, named “Female Singer of the Year” by Opus Klassik 2022 and winner of the Prix de la Critique 2024. Her scenic artistry and musicality have led her to appear at venues such as the Opéra National de Paris, Salzburg Festival, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

She has performed a wide variety of roles (Médée, Idamante, Ariodante, Rosina, Dido, Urbain, Stéphano, Timna, Cherubino among others) and appears regularly at the Salzburg Festival. She has sung under conductors including Gustavo Dudamel, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, William Christie, Myung-Whun Chung, Thomas Dunford, and Marc Minkowski, and worked with directors such as Sir David McVicar and Barrie Kosky.

Lea Desandre trained in Venice with Sara Mingardo, joined William Christie’s Le Jardin des Voix in 2015 and the Académie of the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2016. She was named Revelation of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique Classique in 2017, and won the Prix HSBC and Prix des Médias Francophones Publics in 2018. She also trained as a classical dancer for 12 years.